The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is stepping up as a bridge between Africa and Europe to tackle growing food security problems. IFAD President Alvaro Lario spoke at the 6th African Union-European Union Agriculture Ministerial Conference in Rome, where farm ministers from both continents discussed ways to strengthen their food systems, according to a press release. Climate change and global tensions are making food security more urgent than ever.
Both regions are dealing with their own food challenges. The African Union just launched a new agricultural plan for 2026-2035, while Europe has made food security one of its top seven priorities. One in five Africans currently suffers from hunger, yet the continent’s farming sector has massive growth potential.
During the conference, IFAD and the EU signed a €26 million deal to help African farmer groups connect better with regional markets. The FO4IMPACT program will work across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific to strengthen these vital links. This builds on an earlier successful program that tripled the volume of products farmers could sell and boosted women and youth in leadership roles by six times.
“The food systems of Europe and Africa are deeply interlinked. Our futures are connected,” Lario said.
Africa’s 33-50 million small farms support hundreds of millions of people and could help the continent reach $1 trillion in agribusiness by 2030. But this requires much more investment.
The partnership shows how development expertise, infrastructure strategy, and local needs can work together. With the right support, African agriculture could become a real engine for growth that benefits everyone.
